Amidst all the glitter, glamour and glitz of yesteryear the shimmer and shine of Gota stands out! It has captured in its weave the fantasy of the times. Travelling from the markets of the Western Indian cities of Surat, Ajmer where they were manufactured, Gota came to be the ubiquitous accessory of every royal garment. Let us know of the history of the exquisite Gota embroidery based on original fieldwork.
The year that was: 2021 roundup by VarnikaDesigns
2021 has been a difficult year for VarnikaDesigns but we kept on our endeavour of making heritage and history accessible and inclusive, an arduous task in the global Covid lockdown year. Thank you for your constant support and motivation ♥️♥️♥️
Happy New Year ♥️
VarnikaDesigns initiated 'The Museum Memories Project' on April 15, 2020. It is an Oral History documentation project to bring the world closer by the sharing of personal memories of museums visited by the contributor in any corner of the globe. It aims to be also free digital archive and resource with a collection of these... Continue Reading →
Dia’s 95: the ‘Bidhoba’ with a swag!
This post is about Dia, in the context of patriarchy, feminism, widowhood, hypocrisy of the Bengali community, sexual need, gender roles, power struggle, and mental health awareness, narrated by her granddaughter in whom she confided a lot but could never get herself to love as much as the grandson.
Durga Pujo Memories of Kuntal De
Writing Mahabharata is easier than penning my memory of Durga Puja that spans 40 plus years. The rains slowed down, sky was still cloudy and sombre, structures of bamboo and cheap wood would mushroom everywhere in the city, our new playgrounds. We used to climb the structures the whole day and scolded by the uncles... Continue Reading →
Museum Memories from Kolhapur or ‘Kalapur’
This is a memory from Anita Yewale from the Town Hall Museum, Kolhapur. All text and photo credits rest with the author. Photographs have been taken at the Museum by her with permission from the Director, Town Hall Museum, DAM, Government of Maharashtra: her contribution to the ongoing 'Museum Memories Project' Two little hidden... Continue Reading →
100th post, 5 years!!!
This is the 100th post celebrating 5 years of this blog!!! I can't believe it! I had never imagined I would be able to write regularly but here it is - 100 posts 🙂 thank YOU for reading them and giving encouraging feedback. Through this 100th post I formally announce the 'Museum Memories Project' -... Continue Reading →
Museum Memories #23 by Nidhip Mehta
5 Museum Memories of Storm King Art Center (New York, USA) By Prof. Nidhip Mehta Architect and Former Dean, Pearl Academy School of Design My favourite museum to visit in the entire world isn’t even technically a museum at all. It’s 500 acres of rolling hills, woodlands, and green fields that holds one of the... Continue Reading →